saepe gessit gloriose,
cuius facta viva nunc vigent, qui apud gentes solus praestat,
eum suus pater cum palliod unod ab amica abduxit.'

Naevius was banished and went to Utica, where he died, probably about
B.C. 199. It must have been after peace was concluded (B.C. 202), as
otherwise he could have reached Utica only by deserting to the
enemy.[3] Jerome gives B.C. 201, Cicero B.C. 204, although he says
Varro put the date later. The verses on Scipio quoted above could
hardly have been written before the battle of Zama.

Jerome yr. Abr. 1816 = B.C. 201, 'Naevius comicus Uticae moritur,
pulsus Roma factione nobilium, ac praecipue Metelli.'

Cic. _Brut._ 60, 'His consulibus (B.C. 204), ut in veteribus
commentariis scriptum est, Naevius est mortuus; quamquam Varro noster,
diligentissimus investigator antiquitatis, putat in hoc erratum
vitamque Naevi producit longius.'

(2) WORKS.

1. _Tragedies._--There are extant seven titles and a very few
fragments.

2. _Comedies._--There are titles of about thirty-four _palliatae_,[4]
and upwards of one hundred and thirty lines extant.

Naevius seems to have adopted _contaminatio_[5] in his plays. Ter.
_Andr._ prol. 15,

'Id isti vituperant factum atque in eo disputant
contaminari non decere fabulas ...
qui quom hunc accusant, Naevium Plautum Ennium
accusant.'

3. _Praetextae._--Tragedies on Roman subjects, 'Clastidium' and
'Romulus.' The _praetexta_ was invented by Naevius.

4. _Bellum Punicum_, an epic poem in Saturnians, divided later into
seven Books. About seventy-four lines are extant.

Sueton. _Gramm._ 2, 'C. Octavius Lampadio Naevii Punicum bellum, uno
volumine et continenti scriptura expositum, divisit in septem libros.'

Books i. and ii. contained the mythical origin of Rome and Carthage,
Aeneas' flight from Troy and his sojourn at the court of Dido in
Carthage. In Book iii. the history of the First Punic War commenced.
The work was imitated by Ennius and Virgil, sometimes closely by the
latter. Cf. Servius on _Aen._ i. 198-207, 'O socii,' etc. 'Et totus
hic locus de Naevio belli Punici libro translatus est.' _Ibid._ i.
273, 'Naevius et Ennius Aeneae ex filia nepotem Romulum conditorem
urbis tradunt.'

Macrob. _Saturn._ vi. 2, 31, 'In principio Aeneidos tempestas
describitur et Venus apud Iovem queritur ... Hic locus totus sumptus a
Naevio est ex primo libro belli Punici.'

PLAUTUS

(1) LIFE.

Plautus' full name, T. Maccius Plautus,